Afghanistan

Baroness Warsi: I wish to inform the House that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, together with the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development, is today publishing the 21st progress report on developments in Afghanistan since November 2010.
	September has been a sombre month for British forces in Afghanistan. The loss of eight members of our Armed Forces has been keenly felt. We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of those who have died and pay tribute to their bravery. They will never be forgotten.
	The attack on Camp Bastion reminded us that we face a determined enemy in Afghanistan and we must expect challenges ahead. But tangible progress continues to be made as we work with the ANSF towards delivering our shared security objectives. Transition is working well and gathering pace. In part this is because of the increasing strength, confidence and capability of the ANSF. With the help of UK and ISAF forces, they are steadily developing into capable and professional forces.
	We continue to work closely with ISAF and our Afghan partners to mitigate the threat of insider attacks. Vetting and screening of recruits to the ANSF is getting stronger. Counterintelligence efforts have been stepped up. Cultural awareness training has been intensified. The surveillance and monitoring of Afghan forces deemed to be at risk has been increased.
	Insider attacks remain the exception. The overwhelming majority of our forces work well with their Afghan colleagues. The ANSF are increasingly in the frontline in combating the insurgency and they too face the insider threat. We will not allow these terrible incidents to detract from the very real progress which has been, and continues to be, made in Afghanistan. Nor will we let them derail our strategy or our commitment to the mission, while taking steps to reduce the threats to the absolute minimum.
	The UK Government continued efforts to promote women’s rights in Afghanistan and ensure women have the opportunity to take decisions that affect their own lives. We continued to promote sustainable development in Helmand, by supporting community-led development projects, including the building of a major health clinic and repairs to schools and canals. The UK is also helping the provincial government in Helmand to access national government finance and encourage international partners, public and private, to work in Helmand up to and after transition. This will help to ensure that development gains in Helmand endure.
	We continue to support an Afghan-led political process to support peace and stability in Afghanistan. We agree with the Afghan Government that there is a role in this process for all Afghan groups that renounce violence, split from international terrorism and respect the Afghan constitutional framework. We recognise that the way forward will be challenging but we are committed to supporting the Afghan Government’s efforts.
	I am placing the report in the Library of the House. It will also be published on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website (www.fco.gov.uk).

Armed Forces: Staff Costs

Lord Astor of Hever: My right honourable friend the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans (Mark Francois) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	In response to Parliamentary Questions from the honourable Member for North Durham (Kevan Jones) on 17 September 2012 (Official Report, col. 456), I provided information on the costs of household staff supporting the Chief of the Defence Staff, the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, and the Chiefs of the Naval, General and Air Staffs.
	I noted in that Answer that it was not yet possible to give the honourable Member the costs for the financial year 2011-12, as they were still being compiled. I am now in a position to provide those figures, and they are set out in the table below.
	The 2009-10 and 2010-11 figures in the table have been reviewed and updated and are now consistent with the methodology used to calculate the 2011-12 figures, on a capitation rate basis.
	
		
			  Cost of Household Staff (£) 
			 Post 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Chief of the Defence Staff 107,000 114,000 117,000 
			 Vice Chief of the Defence Staff 44,000 46,000 57,000 
			 First Sea Lord/Chief of the Naval Staff 161,000 155,000 113,000 
			 Chief of the General Staff 124,000 91,000 59,000 
			 Chief of the Air Staff 112,000 116,000 121,000 
			 Total for Chiefs of Staff 548,000 522,000 467,000 
		
	
	Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand pounds and, as before, do not include drivers.
	The table shows that the total costs of the household staff of the five chiefs of staff have been reduced by some 15% since 2009-10.
	In addition, it has been decided that once the current service chiefs of staff leave their posts, we will take the opportunity to rationalise the provision of residences. This will enable the release of tenancies including that in Kensington Palace.
	We remain committed to bearing down on the costs associated with senior staff. Changes to the entitlements for senior officers, which have been implemented since 2010, include a revised policy on official hospitality, saving £2.5 million per year, and the discontinuation of official service residence status, estimated to save a further £3 million annually. Broader measures range from a new model for outer office support staff, to restrictions on first and business class travel.

Aviation: Airports Commission

Earl Attlee: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Patrick McLoughlin) has made the following Ministerial Statement.
	On 7 September, the Government announced their intention to create an independent commission, chaired by Sir Howard Davies, to identify and recommend to Government options for maintaining the UK’s status as a global aviation hub. Following discussions with Sir Howard, the Government are now in a position to announce the full membership and terms of reference for this body, which will be named the Airports Commission.
	In selecting members of the Airports Commission, the Government worked with Sir Howard to identify individuals with a range of skills, backgrounds and experience. The commission also intends to appoint a panel of expert advisers, to enhance its capability to address issues that fall outside of the direct experience of the commissioners.
	In addition to Sir Howard Davies, the full membership of the commission includes:
	Sir John Armitt, the former chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority and former chief executive of Network Rail;Professor Ricky Burdett, professor of Urban Studies at the London School of Economics and director of the LSE Cities research centre;Vivienne Cox, the former CEO and executive vice-president of BP Alternative Energy and a former member of the BP Executive Management Team;Professor Dame Julia King, vice-chancellor of Aston University and a member of the committee on climate change, with a background in the aerospace industry; andGeoff Muirhead CBE, the former CEO of the Manchester Airport Group.
	The commission’s terms of reference will be as follows:
	The commission will examine the scale and timing of any requirement for additional capacity to maintain the UK’s position as Europe’s most important aviation hub; and it will identify and evaluate how any need for additional capacity should be met in the short, medium and long term.
	It should maintain a UK-wide perspective, taking appropriate account of the national, regional and local implications of any proposals.
	It should engage openly with interested parties and members of the public, providing opportunities to submit evidence and proposals and to set out views relevant to its work.
	It should seek to engage with a range of stakeholders, including with local and devolved government as well as the opposition, to build consensus in support of its approach and recommendations.
	The commission should report no later than the end of 2013 on:
	its assessment of the evidence on the nature, scale and timing of the steps needed to maintain the UK’s global hub status; andits recommendation(s) for immediate actions to improve the use of existing runway capacity in the next five years—consistent with credible long-term options.
	The assessments and recommendations in the commission’s interim report should be underpinned by a detailed review of the evidence in relation to the current position in the UK with regard to aviation demand and connectivity, forecasts for how these are likely to develop, and the expected future pattern of the UK’s requirements for international and domestic connectivity.
	Its assessments of potential immediate actions should take into account their economic, social and environmental costs and benefits, and their operational deliverability. It should also be informed by an initial high-level assessment of the credible long-term options which merit further detailed development.
	The commission should report no later than summer 2015 on:
	its assessment of the options for meeting the UK’s international connectivity needs, including their economic, social and environmental impact;its recommendation(s) for the optimum approach to meeting any needs; andits recommendation(s) for ensuring that the need is met as expeditiously as practicable within the required timescale.
	The commission should base the recommendations in its final report on a detailed consideration of the case for each of the credible options. This should include the development or examination of detailed business cases and environmental assessments for each option, as well as consideration of their operational, commercial and technical viability.
	As part of its final report in summer 2015, it should also provide materials, based on this detailed analysis, which will support the Government in preparing a national policy statement to accelerate the resolution of any future planning applications for major airports infrastructure.

British Antarctic Survey and National Oceanography Centre

Lord Marland: My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Universities and Science (David Willetts) has today made the following Statement.
	The Council of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) met on 1 November to discuss the proposed merger of the British Antarctic Survey and the National Oceanography Centre. NERC council considered the responses to its public consultation as well as feedback from Parliament, Government, the polar affairs community, scientists and NERC staff.
	NERC's handling of the responses was subject to external independent scrutiny by Professor Robert Allison, Vice-Chancellor and President of Loughborough University.
	The British Antarctic Survey is a national and international asset that delivers world-class environmental science, and this country’s strategic presence in Antarctica and the South Atlantic. The UK’s commitment to continuing this dual mission in the region is as strong as ever.
	NERC has already committed to maintain the funding of the British Antarctic Survey at £42 million a year for the rest of this spending review period.
	Looking to the future—though without pre-empting the timing and size of the next spending review settlement—I consider that NERC should have a discrete funding line for Antarctic infrastructure and logistics from within the ring-fenced science budget to ensure a visible UK commitment to maintaining Antarctic science and presence.
	Having completed its consultation, NERC council agreed that it will not proceed with the proposal for merger. The British Antarctic Survey and National Oceanography Centre will remain as NERC's centres.

Consumer Law: Enforcement

Lord Marland: My honourable friend the Minister of State for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs (Jo Swinson) has today made the following Statement.
	The Government are publishing a consultation on adding new remedies to the consumer law enforcement process tomorrow.
	The consultation sets out proposals to amend Part 8 of the Enterprise Act 2002 so that public enforcers of consumer law (principally the Office of Fair Trading, Local Authority Trading Standards Service) can apply to a civil court for an enforcement order aimed at achieving one or more of the following three outcomes, in addition to stopping illegal behaviour:
	improved business compliance with the law; improved redress for consumers affected by the breach; and/ormore confident consumers who are empowered to exercise greater choice.
	Businesses will also continue to be able to offer undertakings to enforcers as an alternative to court action.
	Example actions could include introducing a complaints-handling scheme, repaying overcharges made by consumers or working with third-party feedback sites. The most appropriate action would be determined on a case-by-case basis.
	The consultation seeks views on these proposals, and also considers whether the powers in the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 could alternatively deliver the same outcomes.
	The consultation will close on 31 December 2012.
	Electronic copies of the consultation and the accompanying draft impact assessment have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

EU: Transport Council

Earl Attlee: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Stephen Hammond) has made the following Ministerial Statement.
	I attended the first Transport Council of the Cypriot presidency in Luxembourg on Monday 29 October.
	The council reached general approach on two proposals to amend EU legislation allowing the enforcement of certain provisions of the Maritime Labour Convention within the EU. The Maritime Labour Convention was agreed in the International Labour Organisation in 2006, and ensures certain standards of working conditions for seafarers. The proposals will provide for enforcement to take place as part of the port state control regime. The council now awaits the European Parliament’s opinion before making further progress.
	The council reached general approach on a proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the council on common rules for the allocation of slots, repealing Council Directive 95/93/EC, by qualified majority voting. Although the majority of the text is acceptable the UK was unable to support the general approach on the day, largely because of uncertainty as to how a number of detailed points will be resolved. However, I was able to successfully preserve key elements of the text which safeguard the current secondary trading of slots in the UK and I was able to narrow down the scope for member states to restrict slot trading within their territory in certain circumstances.
	The council held a debate on a proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the council on roadworthiness testing for motor vehicles and their trailers. I intervened to express the UK’s serious concerns about the proposal. I argued that it would impose substantial costs in the UK, with negligible road safety benefits. I highlighted that the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee has issued an opinion that the proposal was against the principles of subsidiarity. I also argued that the Commission’s impact assessment failed to provide convincing evidence of road safety benefits overall. The UK’s concerns were echoed by a number of other member states.
	The council reached a political agreement on a proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EEC) No. 3821/85 on recording equipment in road transport and amending Regulation (EC) No. 561/2006 of the European Parliament and the Council. The political agreement is based on the general approach reached in June, and accepts some minor amendments proposed by the European Parliament. The proposal will now return to the European Parliament for a second reading.
	The council adopted a decision on provisional application of an agreement to enhance co-operation between the European Union and the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol).

Pensions: Local Government Pension Scheme

Baroness Hanham: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Brandon Lewis) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Government commissioned Lord Hutton to chair the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission to review public service pensions and to make recommendations on how they can be made sustainable and affordable in the long term, and fair to both public sector workers and the taxpayer. Lord Hutton’s final report was published on 10 March 2011. In that report he made clear that change is needed to “make public service pension schemes simpler and more transparent, fairer to those on low and moderate earnings”. The local government pension scheme currently costs the taxpayer £6 billion a year.
	On 17 July, my honourable friend the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Bob Neill), made a Statement to the House that the Local Government Association and local government trade unions had started informal consultations with their respective memberships on designs for a new local government pension scheme to be in place by 2014.
	Those informal consultations are now concluded. I can report to the House that in a joint statement issued by the Local Government Association and local government trades unions on 30 August, 90% of employers, 90% of UNISON members, 95% of GMB members and 84% of UNITE members, were in favour of the proposed scheme design. A copy of the joint statement can be found at www.lgps.org.uk. A copy of the Statement has been placed in the Library of the House.
	In a letter to the Local Government Association of 30 May, my honourable friend the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, agreed that a favourable outcome of the informal consultation would enable the department to move directly to a statutory consultation exercise in the autumn to implement these proposals. I can now confirm that we will be consulting on draft regulations to implement the matters set out below at the earliest opportunity and will also be seeking an agreed position on other issues that the Local Government Association and the trade unions have proposed, such as scheme governance and cost control.
	The intention remains to have the new scheme regulations in place to coincide with the next scheme valuation in 2013 to enable local fund actuaries to reflect elements of the new design in this process before the reformed scheme comes into operation in 2014 and to give software and payroll providers sufficient time to establish and test procedures for the scheme after April 2014.
	The main parameters forming the basis of the forthcoming statutory consultation are set out below:
	a start date of April 2014 with core elements of the new scheme regulations in place by March 2013;a pension scheme design based on career average and actual pay;an accrual rate of 1/49th of pensionable earnings each year;revaluation of active members’ benefits in line with a price index (currently Consumer Prices Index);a normal pension age equal to the state pension age, which applies both to active members and deferred members (new scheme service only). If a member’s state pension age rises, then normal pension age will do so too for all post-2014 service;a low-cost optional arrangement allowing 50% of main benefits to be accrued on a 50% contribution rate;pensions in payment to increase in line with a price index (currently Consumer Prices Index);benefits to increase in any period of deferment in line with a price index (currently Consumer Prices Index);average member contribution yield of 6.5%, with tiered contributions;optional lump sum commutation at a rate of £12 of lump sum for every £1 per annum of pension forgone in accordance with HMRC limits and regulations;early/late retirement factors from age 55 on an actuarially neutral basis;a vesting period of two years;spouse and partner pensions to continue to be based on an accrual rate of 1/160 and three times death in service benefit; andill-health retirement pensions to be based on the current ill-health retirement arrangements.
	There will be transitional protection in respect of:
	all accrued rights are protected and those past benefits will be linked to final salary when members leave the scheme;protection underpin for members aged 57 to 59; andrule of 85 protection as in the current scheme.
	The consequences of the new Fair Deal for the local government workforce will be considered by the Department for Communities and Local Government in view of the extant Best Value Authorities Staff Transfers (Pensions) Direction 2007 and Admitted Body Status in the local government pension scheme.
	The Government Actuary’s Department have confirmed that the scheme design set out above does not exceed the agreed cost ceiling of 19.5% of pensionable pay. A copy of the Government Actuary’s Department verification has been placed in the Library of the House.
	The initial focus of the statutory consultation exercise will be on the Local Government Association and local government trades unions’ proposals for the design of the new scheme from April 2014. The Public Service Pensions Bill introduced on 13 September set out new arrangements for the future of public service pension schemes. This Bill provides a strengthened framework for administration, transparency, governance and cost control of the schemes, including the local government pension scheme. Although still matters under consideration, the provisions in the Bill do not rule out any of the Local Government Association and local government trades unions’ proposals on governance and cost control. I will continue to work closely with those bodies during the statutory consultation to consider these important matters further and in light of issues raised during the consultation.